Shocking Findings of Abuse in New Zealand’s Care System

According to the final report from a landmark independent inquiry released on Wednesday, it is estimated that over 200,000 individuals suffered abuse at the hands of state and religious organizations in New Zealand, organizations that were entrusted with their care. This extensive report, conducted by the Royal Commission of Inquiry Into Abuse in Care, detailed a horrifying range of abuses, including:

• Sexual assault
• Electric shocks
• Chemical restraints
• Medical experimentation
• Sterilization
• Starvation
• Beatings

Many of the victims were vulnerable children who had been forcibly removed from their families and placed into state care, religious institutions, or foster homes. The report poignantly noted, “For some people, this meant years or even decades of frequent abuse and neglect.” It further added, “For some it was a lifetime; for others, it led to an unmarked grave.”

In a statement accompanying the report’s release, Coral Shaw, the chair of the inquiry, characterized the abuse as an “unthinkable national catastrophe.”

The devastating findings were presented to New Zealand’s Parliament on the same day. During a news conference, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addressed the survivors, stating, “I cannot take away your pain, but I can tell you this: Today you are heard and you are believed.” He acknowledged the profound betrayal felt by many, saying, “The state was supposed to care for you, to protect you, but instead it subjected you to unimaginable physical, emotional, mental, and sexual abuse.”

Prime Minister Luxon announced that the New Zealand government would formally apologize to survivors in November and committed to establishing a comprehensive redress process. While he refrained from providing specific details about the potential financial implications of compensating victims, the inquiry indicated that the total reparations could soar into the billions of dollars.